Cupertino residents split on official's lack of in-person attendance - San Jose Spotlight

"Councilmember R "Ray" Wang has virtually attended nine City Council sessions from national and international locations - ranging from Dubai to Texas - out of roughly 30 meetings this year, or about 30%. His travels have cut two meetings short because he needed to catch a plane, according to the city attorney in meeting recordings. That's postponed council items for a week to more than a month."

"Wang travels for his day job as the founder of tech consulting firm Constellation Research and can be gone for two weeks of the month. He can attend council meetings virtually because of the Brown Act. The public meeting law states government officials can teleconference into meetings if their location is publicly available, in case a resident wants to attend the meeting from the same place. Wang said his online attendance hasn't affected his public service because he represents his constituents in the meetings virtually."

"Wang said his online attendance hasn't affected his public service because he represents his constituents in the meetings virtually. He said he takes his responsibilities seriously, no matter where he is. "If anybody wants to reach out to me or has a question - if they can't get a hold of me, I would be very surprised," he told San José Spotlight. "I'm here for the residents.""

A Cupertino councilmember attended roughly nine of about 30 City Council sessions virtually from domestic and international locations, representing about 30% of meetings. Travel for his private consulting work sometimes required leaving meetings early to catch flights, prompting postponements of agenda items for a week to over a month. The Brown Act permits teleconferencing when the official's location is publicly available. Some residents worry the travel pattern affects major local projects, while others view it as a benefit. The councilmember says virtual participation does not affect representation, that he remains reachable, and that he takes responsibilities seriously.

Read at San Jose Spotlight